Children’s Party Invitation Etiquette
A child’s birthday party is a wonderful occasion, but can be hard work to plan. The invitation is a critical component by helping you set the tone for the party and letting you know approximately how many people to plan for. Below we discuss how to properly send out your children’s party invitations.
Invitation List
If your child is old enough to decide who they want to attend their party have them help you decide. You might want to let them know how many children they can invite ahead of time. It is perfectly reasonable not to invite every child in your children’s class but let your son or daughter know that leaving some children off the list may lead to hurt feelings.
If not all children from the class are going to be invited it is best to send the kids birthday invites directly to their homes instead of handing them out in class. If you do not have an address list ask your child’s teacher to provide one. To encourage a good turnout you should include verbiage letting parents know it is okay for them to attend. You may want include a line on the invitation saying “Parents are welcome to stay or drop off their child.” If you invite parents to stay make sure they are provided with refreshments.
When to Send the Children’s Party Invitations
A child’s birthday party does not need as much notice as most other types of parties. You will want to send out the kids invitations two to three weeks in advance. This gives everyone plenty of time to prepare for the festivities and purchase a gift.
What to Include on the Birthday Invites for Kids
You want to be as succinct and detailed as possible. You’ll want to include the following on the birthday invitations:
Opening Phrase: Example – “Joe is turning 7 and would love for you to come celebrate his birthday!”
Description: “Joe’s 7th Birthday Bash”
Date and Time: You will need to list the day, date and time of the party in that order. For a child’s party it is also helpful to include an end time so parents who drop off their kids know when to come and pick them up.
Location: If the venue has a name include it followed by the address. You may want to include a map. You could also put a not that may help people find the location such as “right next to grocery store on the right”
Other Details
If the party has special activities you will want to list information to help parents prepare such as “please bring swimming suit and towel” or “please bring sleeping bag and pajamas for sleep over.”
Delivering the Children’s Party Invitations
It is best to mail invitations if not everyone from your child’s class is being invited otherwise hand them out. This saves on time and postage. Also, if you do mail them and want to save on postage fees consider a smaller and lighter weight invitation. To find the perfect birthday invites visit see above.
